Swimsuit Season Affects Men, Too

“Swimsuit Season” comes with a sort of dreaded connotation, like a luring nightmare in an otherwise pleasant dream. One of the highlights of Summer in Portland is the chance to rip off all those seasonal layers and get down to bare essentials in swim gear. Summer in Oregon offers a wide variety of swimsuit necessitating opportunities from lakes and rivers to creeks and gorges, a chilly plunge in the ocean, a moderate dip in a community or personal pool, trips to swimming holes, and hiking through Oneonta gorge or one of Oregon’s many waterfalls. As much as it is adventure season in Portland, it is swimsuit season for Portland. For many men, summer comes with a dose of physical insecurities.

Body image issues like how one looks in a bathing suit are usually assigned to the female gender. Women have high expectations about their body as “swimsuit model” is practically a level of godliness women feel they have to achieve. Men are not unfamiliar with the pressure to adorn an adonis’ body when the winter gear comes off and the swim trunks go on. A substantial amount of body image pressure is put on men for the summertime, though differently from women. Men face a unique evaluation when it comes to their physique. How a man looks is a determining factor to others what a man is worth, because a man’s physique represents his physical capabilities. Men’s physical capabilities directly correspond to a man’s “manliness” and his masculinity, which determine how much of a man he really is. This immense pressure is due to thousands of years of evolutionary conditioning from tribe culture and alpha males to the need to mate and reproduce.

Self-Acceptance

Every man has a slightly different idea of the “perfect body”. Some men want to bulk up in size. Other men prefer a leaner body. As much as every man has different ideals, he also has a different body type. Some men’s bodies are meant to be bulky and other men aren’t meant to be lean. Self-acceptance helps cut through the critical voice inside men’s heads which enthusiastically tell them that their body should look a different way.

Diet and Exercise

Mens bodies are, however, incredibly adaptable and full of potential. Exercise is proven to improve confidence and self-esteem, regardless of physical appearance of physique. Picking up a regimented diet and exercise routine can help you work toward a “better body” according to the ideals of the swimsuit world. More importantly, diet and exercise can help you feel better about yourself as yourself because you are taking care of yourself. Feeling good on the inside always translates to looking good on the outside because you’re radiating your most attractive feature: you.

Sobriety in Portland can’t be beat. With a city full of local culture and a culture focused on local nature, life in recovery in Oregon is a constant adventure. Tree House Recovery in Portland, Oregon offers men’s treatment programs inspired by the nature of the Pacific Northwest and the innovative approaches to treatment. We’re transforming men’s lives, inside and out. Call today for more information: (855) 969-5181